"Plasma Turns Garbage into Gas"
Scientific American (November, 2008)
"Every year 130 million tons of America’s trash ends up in landfills. Together the dumps emit more of the greenhouse gas methane than any other human-related source. But thanks to plasma technology, one city’s rotting rubbish will soon release far less methane—and provide power for 50,000 homes—because of an innovation in plasma technology backed by Atlanta-based Geoplasma.
"Engineers have developed an efficient torch for blasting garbage with a stream of
superheated gas, known as plasma. When trash is dropped into a chamber and heated
to 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, its organic components—food, fluids, paper—vaporize into a hot, pressurized gas, which turns a turbine to generate electricity. Steam, a by-product, can generate more. Inorganic refuse such as metals condense at the bottom and can be used in roadbeds and heavy construction...."
This looks like a very good idea: Using high tech to turn garbage into electricity, and apparently the byproducts can be used for paving.
Of course, the Mutoscope Voice-O-Graph" looked like a good idea, too.
I'm very excited by this idea and have been impatiently awaiting the big media surge surrounding its success. I've been waiting a couple of years, now. Someday, I hope to see landfills disappear thorugh this technology, although I do worry about the seagulls that have migrated this far in-land. ;)
ReplyDeletelegbamel,
ReplyDeleteI've been watching hopeful developments like this fizzle for one reason or another for decades.
The good news: once in a while the new-idea people get it right.
What's nice about the plasma approach is that it seems to get around the issue of toxic fumes, which haunted earlier efforts.
On the other hand, I haven't read yet, how they hope to get more energy out of the system, than they put in.
Just the same, I'm (cautiously) excited, too.
legbamel,
ReplyDeleteAbout the inland seagulls:
I wouldn't worry about them. Minnesota's full of those birds every summer. They don't come for the landfills - its the fields (particularly freshly-plowed ones) that they seem to be interested in.
That, and parking lots.
I think all the open water around here helps, too.
The process as currently used produces more than enough energy to power itself and add to the grid, from what I've read. This is really the most promising technology I've seen for some time. If only it catches on before its inventors and investors have gotten tired of waiting!
ReplyDeletePromising, definitely.
ReplyDeleteNew technologies aren't always easy to get up and running: but this does look like it may work. As you said.